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Break It Down: You Me & Iowa

In Los Angeles, there are two types of indie bands: those who get signed after their fourth show and lock in an iTunes ad and those who toil in obscurity, but are all the better (and sharper) for it. You Me & Iowa happen to be the latter. After forming at Loyola Marymount University, the quintet have brought their unique brand of jazz- and classically-infused indie rock to audiences all over L.A. for over four years—and now, well, they're getting recognized, with their latest album, Adventures of You me & Iowa.

We caught up with YM&I's charismatic frontman and bassman to get insight into what makes the band tick and why your IQ will increase from just one listen.

What have you been listening to lately?

Andrew [vocals/guitar]: Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha, Wilco - A Ghost is Born, The Henry Clay People - Working Part Time, Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom

Julio [bass/vocals]: Aphex Twin - Drukqs, Yesterday's New Quintet - Sound Directions, Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze, Tortoise - A Lazarus Taxon, Cornelius Cardew - The Great Learning, Jacques Loussier - Play Bach No. 1

Where’s your favorite place to chill?

Andrew: My apartment. It's usually the only place I find myself "chilling," which I define as: not working, performing, or seeing shows.

Julio: Same here. I love doing "simple" tasks in my own apartment, such as ironing or cooking; easy tasks which almost become a meditation when compared to the rest of my busy life.

What’s the most dramatic thing you ever did to save money as a starving musician?

Andrew: I bought...(cringe) domestic, macro-brew beer!

Julio: You're supposed to save money? Well... Carl Weathers puts it best: "Save some old prime rib bones, nab a couple of veggies, some potatoes... baby, you've got a stew goin' on."

Tell us one of your favorite song lyric?

Andrew: "can't believe how strange it is to be anything at all" - Neutral Milk Hotel, "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea"

Julio: "Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way" - Pink Floyd, "Time"

What is your most cherished musical instrument or accessory?

Andrew: My wine-red Gibson Les Paul Studio I've had since age 12, and my Maxon AD-80 analog delay pedal. Sentimentality aside, the guitar is solid. It yields rich, warm rhythm tones, gritty, bright treble tones, and everything in between. And the range of sounds the Maxon AD-80 is capable of never ceases to amaze me.

Julio: My pride and joy is an old Acoustic 360 bass cabinet. I've been infatuated with it ever since, as a kid, I learned it was the preferred amp of both of my two favorite bassists, Jaco Pastorius and John Paul Jones. I bought it used and later learned that it had previously belonged to the original bassist from Rufus. It features one 18" Cerwin-Vega speaker which faces back toward an open cavity, creating a "folded horn" effect. This uses the natural acoustics of any venue, from small club to stadium, with a natural warm, clear and rounded tone.

If you could change one thing about the music industry today what would it be?

Andrew: I would like to see more grants readily available for independent musicians. A lot of times what's impeding the career of a musician is having the start-up cash to put out a record and get it to the masses. If you go the traditional route, (which is being turned on its head at the moment), only a select few get the capital to make their music, and it usually involves sacrificing some artistic integrity. Luckily the digital age is making it easier to make records for less money, and to get music directly to listeners without the middle men. Still, I'd guess around 90% of musicians in the world still require day jobs to make ends meet. Having more grants could allow musicians the opportunity to devote themselves entirely to their craft and possibly get the momentum needed to be self-sustaining writers and performers.

Julio: I'd love to see the same zeal of self-production found in our generation of "Indie-Rock in the Digital Age" applied to the Classical realm; in other words, Independent Classical. New Classical virtuosos emerge all the time. However, because many of these artists must make their debut on a major label, whose audiences usually cover a much older demographic, they repeat the same old repertoire time and time again. There's a wealth of exciting works, Classical and Avant-Garde/Modern, which have yet to be performed or recorded. As we shift in the music world to an age in which the artist is no longer inhibited by CD sales and major label distribution, I hope to see artists self-producing new works/performances independently. There is now a younger demographic of listeners with greater awareness of the Classical realm, and hopefully, new strides in the digital age of music will continue to blur the boundaries between "kids and their Rock and/or Roll" and "old codgers and their Moe Zart."

What never goes out of style?

Andrew: Aviator sunglasses.

Julio: Wearing flip-flops. All the time.

What’s the theme song to your life?
"Letting the Days Go By" - Talking Heads
"Ain't No Woman Like the One I've Got" - The Four Tops

What movies, artists, authors or athletes inspire you the most?

Andrew: Currently, I'm really drawn to the novels of Haruki Murakami and Flann O'Brien. While their styles are drastically different, they both have a very unique and surreal eye on the world. Murakami sees the universe through a dreamlike lens, and ultimately propels the reader to question his or her own sense of reality. O'Brien finds hilarity in the mundane, and brings practical situations to a level of absurdity.

Julio: I've always been a big comic/graphic novel geek, and recently I made it a goal to finish reading Dave Sim's masterpiece, Cerebus. Started in 1977 and completed in 2004, its the longest running single comic book narrative following the adventures of one character, Cerebus the Aardvark. The entire epic spans 300 issues, is over 6,000 pages long, and contains hilarious satires on characters, such as Conan, Groucho Marx, Foghorn Leghorn, even Oscar Wilde. Most inspiring is that Dave Sim completed the entire work self-produced and self-published independently, and continues to be an outspoken advocate of creators' rights.

What's your favorite way to stay in shape?

Andrew: Riding my bike along the beach..

Julio: Counting calories by drinking a Pilsner rather than a Stout.

What non-musician would you most like to meet?

Andrew: Already met her.

Julio: Bill Nye the Science Guy

What's your biggest guilty pleasure?

Andrew: Melody Club [Ed: that is either Swedish electro-pop group Melody Club,or the 1949 pre-cursor to the Pink Panther mystery film... we're not quite sure.]

Julio: Checking Aintitcoolnews.com twice a day.

Are you on MySpace?

Andrew: I'm not personally, but the band is at myspace.com/youmeandiowa.

Julio: Ditto.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
06.16.08